Down on Paper
by Mikia
Summary: Alternate Universe. Noin is a alltime publisher for a newspaper, while Zechs is a prince from her past...Note: Story is currently being reedited.


Down on Paper By, Mikia  
  
Part 1-Memories and the Mask  
  
Chapter 1  
  
"Hello Noin, how is your article doing?"  
  
"Just fine sir, all I need is the proof that I need and it's all ready for this month's article."  
  
"Great, I got you plane tickets so you can leave as soon as possible."  
  
"Thanks so much."  
  
"No problem.  
  
The woman watched the short little man walk away to his office with a smile on her face. To her, life in New York City was a life that no one could replace. She had her job, her apartment, and a chance to travel the world. It was all she needed, but sometimes she had a gap in her heart, the gap, was loneliness. She rose up from her chair and took the glasses off and placed it on her head and started to pick up needed papers. She smiled as her fellow employee's greeted, gave her a thumbs up, a " good luck ", and going back to their work. To them, Lucrezia Noin did have it all. The girls admired her for the way she can make the men legs go jello, and the guys admired her legs. But none of them ever even went out with her. She was the one that got away and stayed away.  
  
With her violet eyes and her smooth bangs falling over one side of her face, she was gorgeous, but yet, no one has ever seen such eyes and hair before. She was the gorgeous oddball, and today, she would be leaving for Italy, her home country, to do a full report on the Twin Hands.  
  
It was said to be two enormous statues that faced each with their eyes closed and each pair of hands was together in a triangular form. The gap, to which they faced each other, was a web of red rope with numbers going 1-24. And whenever someone pulled the rope with the number 21 on the top, the eyes of the statues would open and each pair of hands would generate electricity and would shock the person who was standing right in the middle of the web. And she, Lucrezia Noin, the top reporter for the New York Skylight, would be seeing if myth was true, or false.  
  
She left the building and started walking towards her apartment. Life wasn't bad in New York. She was a famous reporter, her apartment was practically the richest apartment in the world, and she was single.  
  
She entered her apartment and threw her briefcase onto her bed, then changing into some normal clothes, then switching on the TV to find the news on.  
  
'Great, the big mouths have more crap to say,' she thought while putting her socks on.  
  
"The continuous search for the missing Prince of the Cinq Kingdom is still undergoing. It is said that his younger sister, Relena, and himself escaped the massacre of their family 10 years ago. Relena, was found about 5 months ago and pronounced that if her brother was found, that person would be awarded greatly. If you have any information on the whereabouts of the missing future king of the Cinq Kingdom, please call our news station. In other news-" then she switched it off. For some reason the news about the living missing prince enchanted her imagination and making her dream about walking around in a castle yelling the name of a boy.  
  
She snapped out of her little relapse and took about a suitcase and started to pack. Her plane to Italy would leave tomorrow morning and she was ready to be the queen of the news.  
  
Chapter 2  
  
"Thank you, Ms. Noin; here's your ticket, and your plane would be leaving at gate C-69 at 5:30," the woman informed circling the gate and time on the plane ticket, then handing it to her customer. Noin nodded her thanks, picked up her bag and left the counter in search of the gate. She found it after riding the terminal trolley five billion times and not to mention finding a nice little café.  
  
She quietly sat on the stool feeling the moist smell of coffee and fresh bread inflame her nostrils. She gave her order to the waiter, gently leaned against the back of the chair, and let her eyes wander to the warm dim café and daydreamed of unknown memories.  
  
Fire, it was burning all around her. The ancient tapestries were in flames; ash and smoke cuddled against her smearing her face black with toil and sweat from the heat. Her white apron was ripped and burned, her toes swelling from her sandals after hours of running, and hiding. She felt the strings of her hair fall over her face from loose pigtails and she felt the stings of second degree burns itch her arms and legs. Her voice quivered with worry and sadness as she screamed the name of her friend. Over, and over, until her tears cooled her hot cheeks.  
  
Strong arms appeared from the shadows wrapping themselves around her waist and bringing her up. She erupted in kicks and screams hearing the thud of boots against the tiles bring her backwards and outside into the snowy scenery of winter. The arms dropped her into the snow, her hands sinking and her knees stinging from the sudden rush of cold. Grabbing a branch that was beside her, she swung it at the soldier feeling her tears travel down her neck.  
  
"Why did you bring me out here? Are you some sort of moron? My friend is still in there!" she screamed whacking him in the stomach causing him to collapse.  
  
"Everyone is dead? Are you some sort of deranged child? The whole castle is burning, anyone who was on the top three floors are dead by now! Were you going to let yourself die from someone who is already dead?" the soldier snapped glaring at the violent little girl.  
  
"Yes! If he is dead then so should I! I want to die!" she exploded hitting him in the knee. "Kill me! You have a gun, you killed everyone else, and you may as well kill me! I want to die!"  
  
She dropped the stick and fell to her knees cuddling her arms hiccupping in tears and grief. The soldier looked at her in shock. 'Why would a little girl, so new to this world, want to die? How can she know so much about dying? She looks at least five years old.'  
  
"Listen, I'm a soldier from the village down the road. That village is on fire as well. My family is dead too, all my friends may be as well. I would never kill who I am trying to protect. I came up here to find survivors, and I found you. I understand you want to be with your friend, but do not wish to be dead. You're alive, and that's all that matters. He never left you. Never ever wish to be dead, because if you did, then that'll be a final destination for you. You could never come back. Live your life for your friend. Live for him."  
  
Her eyes lifted to meet his face that looked so kindly at her. She felt her feet lose feeling from sitting in the snow, and nodded with depression. Another tear went down her face melting on her bruised finger.  
  
"What's your name?" she whispered tracing the snow with her finger.  
  
"Marquis Weridge and yours is-"  
  
"-Lucrezia Noin"  
  
"Well, Lady Noin, how about you come to America with me?"  
  
The little girl wipes her eyes that shown as bright as the stars while her lips formed a wide grin.  
  
"You mean it? America?"  
  
"Yes, America," he replied getting himself up, and taking the little girl by the hand, and led her away from inflaming castle that dimmed slowly down as snow fell from the dreary night sky.  
  
'Where did that come from?' she thought as she snapped back to reality. She never remembered anything like that before, let alone that these memories were arriving now?  
  
"Here you go ma'am, one Scottish Crème Cappuccino. That'd be $2.50." the waitress replied setting the steaming cup in front of Noin. She nodded, gave the waitress a $5, and drank her coffee.  
  
Then, a glint of silver caught the corner of her eye. She turned her head in the direction which it came from to see a man with a brown trench coat sitting at the table from the left of her.  
  
'Is his hair silver? Or is he an extremely old man who defies hair cuts?' she thought leaning over the table to get a better look. A hint of blonde hair started to show not to mention extremely non-wrinkly hands that sipped a regular cup of coffee.  
  
'He's wearing a mask as well. Darn! I wish I could see his face!' she fumed nearly tipping her cup over on her lap. She caught it before it got to her lap, giving a startled gasp. The noise brought his head up and staring at her.  
  
She smiled and gave a sheepish laugh, "Sorry for the disturbance, I was daydreaming that's all!"  
  
He stared at her then broke a smile, "Are you so sure? It seems like your eyes were about to pop off when you were staring at me."  
  
She scratched her head feeling her cheeks burn like fire.  
  
"Sorry, I've never seen such-such bright hair before." He erupted in laughter. Noin felt her whole face turn bloodshot red causing half to café to look.  
  
"Sorry," he said with a moronic grin on his face. "Name's Zechs Marquise and your name is?"  
  
"Lucrezia Noin, you can call me Noin."  
  
He bowed his head and shook her hand; and in that brief moment, the slits for his eyes showed blue. His eyes were blue. 


End file.
